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Life coming back to normal for Kirito.
At least he found a new passion in kendo.
Guess Asuna was not as lucky to wake up as well.
Wow! Looks like she's still stuck in the game.
So there is still hope for those two ^^

Has anyone besides me considered that Kirito may have been fibbing a bit when he said that to Silica? Given the real reason he partnered up with her was to get at Rosalia...

He told that to Silica before he knew she had any relation to Rosalia.

Besides, given how extremely rare a girl her age was leveling in the middle floors, and that Kirito hasn't interacted with his imouto (or any girl of that type) in 2 years or so... it's not surprising he said that.

First, that though Kazuto's body came back to the real world, his mind and heart is still in SAO and with Asuna. This makes sense and was alluded to in so many different ways throughout the episode. I particularly liked how, in the kendo scene, he was still using his SAO sword-fighting stance and at the end tried to place the "sword" on his back like in the game. But of course, there are a lot of other ways too, particularly given the fact that Asuna remains stuck in a coma even now that he's free. It was good to see that Asuna's father accepted him at least as a close friend to Asuna, and someone that makes her happy, but I don't think he really understands the depths of their feelings for each other (and it's not like Kazuto alone is going to be able to convey it). Meanwhile, Suguha sees it all too clearly.

Speaking of Suguha, I think she's the second thing that was portrayed very clearly in the anime. I think whatever small feelings she might have had for Kazuto before were certainly amplified by him being stuck in a coma for two years and now coming back. It's sort of like making up for time lost. But the fact that his heart is still somewhere else even though he's finally back is that much more painful for her. I can definitely buy the way she was portrayed in the episode. The mix of present time and flashbacks was pretty well done. (The only thing that was a bit funny at first is that Suguha doesn't seem to really understand what happened in SAO, but they also say later that it's considered bad to talk about it, so perhaps he hasn't yet told her all the stories beyond the essentials.)

Obviously they've setup Nobuyuki as the main villain in this next round... and yeah, he's rather over the top in his villainy. Unlike the last story arc, where the villain was for the most part invisible (at least until we understood what was going on), here we see the villain quite clearly. His little hint that he was keeping Asuna alive along with the image Egil sent to him (hey, I guess he's still around) was enough to put two-and-two together. Of course the big problem is: how the heck does he get her out of this other game she's trapped in, along with the few hundred others still trapped? I guess we'll have to see. I doubt it'll be a straight line like "clear the 100th floor!" again...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clarste

I suppose the real question here is this: in what way is Silica at all like Kirito's sister such that she reminded him of her?

I think they're both eager, hard-workers despite having a sort of "cute" appearance. I also think that, later on in the episode, the way she got embarrassed by being in Kazuto's bed was portrayed almost exactly like Silica. I think they do have a fair bit in common, actually.

Wow. The episode turned out to be nothing like I expected. That's a good thing actually because what I anticipated was more bland. I could do without the jerkball fiance with his cardboard villainy, but other than that I thought there were some really good details in this episode. Such as 500 or so people who still haven't woken from the coma. Kirito trading his knowledge about SAO for information about Asuna's whereabouts. The revelation that Kirito has been interested in and building his own computers since he was at least 6 years old. (I say "at least" because I assume the interest predated the building of that his mother mentioned.) The little sister who Kirito is justifiably fond of. The revelation that Egil is awake. (But what about Klein??) And of course, that episode ending email. Points off for the seemingly unnecessarily evil fiance but other than that a very good start to the second half.

Actually, I'll probably drop it too. Seeing Asuna reduced to damsel in distress is not my thing. I might come back at the end to see if Kirito meets Asuna again, but that's about it.

I dunno... I don't think the very concept of the heroine being a damsel in distress is such a bad thing that it's worth dropping the series for, and I don't think it's at all a disservice to Asuna given that it makes perfect sense in the context of the storyline. I mean, Asuna's badass and all, but even she would need some protection when in a coma. >_>

The revelation that Kirito has been interested in and building his own computers since he was at least 6 years old. (I say "at least" because I assume the interest predated the building of that his mother mentioned.)

Yeah, I forgot to mention this -- that was a good piece of information as well, along with the fact that he sort of "inherited" that trait from his adopted mother. Speaking of which, his family situation is also rather interesting, and Suguha's inference about Kirito losing himself in online games could possibly be related to his being adopted was an interesting topic to bring up. So we actually get some good backstory here about Kirito, and it addresses a lot of the questions people had about him and his background that weren't really covered so far. So I agree -- that was a good and useful set of developments for the story (along with everything else you mentioned). I agree that the "cardboard villain" is the weakest point.

I don't think the very concept of the heroine being a damsel in distress is such a bad thing that it's worth dropping the series for

Well, I hate to see disempowered women in fiction, specially if they were quite badass beforehand. And I do find it quite a disservice to her character. This is one of those shitty tropes that have been done to death and, like I said, it's not my thing.

It does make sense because of what he went on to say: that, basically, Asuna is his, and he doesn't want Kirito to see her anymore. Because the engagement is apparently blessed by her father (even though it's not a marriage), Kazuto figures he isn't able to object (because he's an outsider -- the only one who could stop it is Asuna herself).

Really, just watch the episode and it will all make sense.

It only makes sense if you assume that when Asuna eventually wakes up she'll be all, "Oh, my father married me to creepy-rapey dude in a purely symbolic ceremony without my consent? Well, I guess I can never be with Kirito again."

Which gets at the real problem with this story line -- Asuna's been objectified in a very literal sense, turned into a comatose body without any volition which Kirito has to save from Sugou.

I don't really know why people say this. She never really depended on Kirito to save her in Aincrad; her focus was a lot more on looking out for him and making sure he didn't go and get himself killed.

Here of course she's being trapped against her will, but we have yet to see what she's doing (or what she's able to do). Of course it's cliche that the hero has to go save the damsel in distress, but that doesn't automatically mean she's become a weak character just because she's been placed in that situation. We'll see what happens...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako

It only makes sense if you assume that when Asuna eventually wakes up she'll be all, "Oh, my father married me to creepy-rapey dude in a purely symbolic ceremony without my consent? Well, I guess I can never be with Kirito again."

Well, I suppose she can run away from her family and off with him, which is probably the likely outcome if it comes down to it, but I don't think that'll be an easy life for both of them, particularly in Eastern cultures where that sort of individuality is not as strongly advocated. (Arranged marriages are still a thing even in this day and age, after all.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako

Which gets at the real problem with this story line -- Asuna's been objectified in a very literal sense, turned into a comatose body without any volition which Kirito has to save from Sugou.

We'll see. She still seems to be alive in a game world, so we'll see what she's up to.